In my opinion this is the most valuable offer for a hotel credit card that I’ve ever seen. The bonus is worth 10 nights at Category 2 hotels. With each night being valued at $150, this card will give you $1500 in value.
My Love for the Starwood Program
Because my wife and I were both able to hit the bonus last year I’ve definitely come to know this program. In the past year I’ve stayed for free at:
Charleston, SC Aloft (2 Nights)
Salt Lake City, UT Sheraton (2 Nights)
Dallas, TX Element (1 Night)
Dornbirn, Austria Four Points (1 Night)
Bolzano, Italy Four Points (1 Night)
Padova, Italy Sheraton (2 Nights)
Milan, Italy Four Points (1 Night)
South San Francisco, CA Four Points (3 Nights)
Yep, you’ve counted that right, thirteen nights for free in the last year. The best part is that we still have almost 60,000 Starpoints left over for future use. My only regret is not staying longer at most of the properties. You’ll see once your Starpoints account begins to grow with the bonus how exciting it can be.
The card is so useful to me that I even kept it and paid the annual fee this year. Basically for every $3000 I spend on the card I can get 3000 Starpoints. That many Starpoints is one free weekend night in a Category 2 hotel. I value that at $150. That’s almost 5% cash back for something that I love, travel!
How Many Starpoints Does Each Night Cost?
SPG Free Nights
I’ve always found it best to use the lower level redemptions to make the points last as long as possible. Starwood has an abundance of Category 2 and 3 hotels all across the world. You can do a category search (Use the button in the upper right hand corner to change the category) to see where your Starpoints will take you.
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Hawaii. It has all of the allure of crystal blue water, pristine sandy beaches, and dense green jungles with none of the worry about foreign languages, currencies, and customs. I think that’s why it is such a draw for so many people. I’d love to convince you to try out some Central American and Carribbean gems, but if you’re already dead-set on Hawaii (and you have every reason to be), then let us at WorldWanderlusting help you get there the way we like to get to places: freely (or at least close to it).
Not all FF programs were created equally, and some present value options for specific departure locations and destinations. I scoured the options and mapped them out in a spreadsheet with pros and cons so that I could rank them (that’s what any good equity analyst would do).
But before we get to that, I have to tease you. After all, the idea here is to put the “lust” in “wanderlust.” Let’s start with this video. You don’t need to watch the whole thing, just get a taste.
Ahh… yes… you watched it all, didn’t you? Mission accomplished, right? Your pulse quickened, didn’t it? That’s what we like to hear. Now, things are about to get more exciting.
You know that the one thing we just can’t stand to hear people say is, “I’d love to travel, I just can’t afford it.” Here’s how we eradicate that phrase – I have two solid options for you to get to Hawaii from the mainland US for free or close to it. As you probably already know, what we like to do at WorldWanderlusting is show you how you can take advantage of bonus offers and promotions to build an arsenal of frequent flyer miles and points that will help you combat the monotony of life.
After reviewing the available programs and the bonus point promotions help you get them, I’d recommend these three options: 1) The United MileagePlus Explorer Card and 2) the American Express(R) Premier Rewards Gold Card.
Here’s how I laid it out:
RT to Hawaii with Frequent Flyer Miles
Airline
Lowest Mile Redemption
Pros
Get them
Chase Ultimate Rewards
Points as cash ~40,000
All points from one card/Reclaim miles as you travel/Ultimate flexibility
For those of you salivating at the thought of a new credit card on the market, here it is. Chase has released a brand new credit card very similar to the Ink Bold. The only difference between the two is the Ink Bold is a charge card (meaning you have to pay it off every month) and the Ink Plus℠ Business Card is a credit card. Either way it is a ticket to 50,000 Ultimate rewards if you can swing the spending requirement.
Bonus: 25,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points after your first purchase. Then you get another 25,000 as a bonus once you’ve spent $10,000 on the card within the first three months of having the card.
Point Earning: Earn 5x the points per $1 when spent at office supply stores, cellular phones, landlines, internet, and cable TV services. Earn 2x the points per $1 with money spent at gas stations and money spent directly at hotels. Earn 1 point per $1 on everything else.
No limit to the amount of points that you can earn. The sky is the limit. If your business buys lots of things from Staples, or Office Max, this is a great card because you will accumulate points very rapidly for dollars spent at those stores.
Point Using: The points that you get from this card are Chase Ultimate Rewards. They can be transferred on a 1:1 ratio to British Airways, United Airlines, Southwest, Hyatt, Marriott, Priority Club, and Korean Air.
You can also use the Ultimate Rewards like cash through Chase’s Ultimate Rewards booking tool. The 50,000 bonus is worth $625 in airline tickets if bookable through their site. Brad has a great post outlining how to book with Ultimate Rewards
Point Expiration: Chase Ultimate Rewards will never expire, however, you must transferred to the program of your choice before you cancel the card or you’ll forfeit the points left over.
Annual Fee: $0 for the first year. $95 per year thereafter.
It is crazy how aggressive Chase is getting with their offers. They continue to release top notch credit cards on the market and their bonuses are much more generous than other credit card issuers. At some point they are going to slow down.
If you can swing the spending requirement, the Ink Plus℠ Business Card is incredible. If you can’t meet the spending requirement I’d recommend you go with the Sapphire Preferred, where the spending requirement is much lower.
The Southwest Airlines® Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card is being advertised as “two roundtrip flights” after you spend $1000 within three months. With such a low minimum spending requirement and such a high bonus value (more than $840 after you meet it), this is a great option for domestic flights. They’re right, this card will get you two RT flights, but it will do more than that – it will make it possible for you to do the kind of incredible multi-destination trip that you’ve always dreamed of. After all, if one destination is good, aren’t many much better?
Southwest’s reward points program works based on the actual cost of the flights – the best value is in using points to book “wanna get away” fares, where it will cost you 60 points per dollar. Most legs you can get for about 9,000 points at the right times, and sometimes even less than that. That’s why I like to think of this opportunity as 5 1/2 one-way flights… and because when you give me an inch I take a mile, why not lump all those into one amazing tour?
Now, on to the fun part. I am itching to map out one of these dream itineraries – all of which you could book with the 50k Rapid Reward Points. I just need our army of wanderlusters to provide some input as to which you’d really like to see. Take a look at these options and comment below to tell me where you wish to wander.
A winter ski-slope circuit – taking in Salt Lake City, Denver, Lake Tahoe and Portland.
A springtime mormon pioneer pilgrimige – Salt Lake City, the Nauvoo area, Kirtland Ohio, and Palmyra New York. (Pardon the particularity, but it tends to be one of our key demographics).
A summer beach bonanza – Charleston South Carolina, Tampa, Jacksonville, and Baltimore.
An autumn color escapade – Nashville, New Hampshire, Arkansas, and St. Louis.
You’ll want to look into getting this card if:
You haven’t applied for another Chase card within the past 40 days (Chase tends to deny applications from individuals who have applied within the previous 30 days).
You won’t have any problem meeting the $1000 spending requirement within 3 months.
You like the idea of taking two bags free on each of these flights (Southwest is as generous as they come on this issue, representing a savings of as much as $60 per flight).
You don’t mind paying the $69 annual fee.
Furthermore, this card is a great way to get about 45% of the way to the magic 110k qualifying points that will get you a companion pass – allowing your spouse or friend to travel for free on any flight you book.
This is not one of the links we get paid on when you use it to apply, but if this card and its benefits fit the bill for what you want to do, start making it happen sooner rather than later. Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card
Thank you for multi-destination wanderlusting with us.
Not too long ago we were featured on the www.MillionMileSecrets.com blog’s interview series. We drew in a few more followers from the experience and we’re appreciative of Daraius and all of the hard work he does to deliver deal details to the travel-hacking world. Here’s the interview for your reading pleasure.
“My miserly father is finally staying in hotels that aren’t named with numbers.”
1) How and when did you start collecting miles and points?
We come from a family that bargains for garage-sale items. Our tightwadedness has been carefully cultured over centuries, and while such attitudes generally wane over generations, in our family it has done exactly the opposite. It is in our nature to think cheap. It is not, however, in our nature to travel… we found that on our own. The wanderlust seized me before a steady job did, and points were the only way to bridge the gap.
2) Why did you start your blog? What’s special about it?
Brad: I got to where I was telling so many people what to do that it just made more sense to put it out there and let people read it. We didn’t invent travel-hacking and we’re certainly not the best at it. If the traditional “Travel Blog” is Spain and the “Miles and Points Blog” is France, then we must be Andorra. If we have a niche in this world, its showing people what amazing trip itineraries they can build with optimized point usage.
3) What’s the one single thing people can do to get more miles?
Sheldon: Ask for them. Whenever a company has given you terrible customer service, or when the flight has mechanical problems that causes you to miss your connecting flight, ask for some points. Use Twitter to contact the customer service team and explain your situation. In three instances of airline errors I’ve scored 27,500 miles. I’m batting three for three at 100% and averaging 9000 miles per complaint.
4) What’s your most memorable travel experience?
Brad: I took my family of six to Medellin, Colombia for a total of $574 and 150k AA points. We spent a month there and made Colombian friends for a lifetime, indulged in more than our fair share of “bandejas paisas,” climbed to the top of El Peñol, traced the history of Pablo Escobar, visited the historic city of Santa Fe de Antioquia, and paraglided over the Andes.
Sheldon: Two months ago I returned from an Alpine Europe tour – visiting Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, and Italy for 12 days. My wife and I brought along our 10 month old little boy to see the wonders of Europe. He visited castles in Germany, rode on a gondola in Venice, and ate gelato in Milano all before being a year old. With some help from AA and SPG, our total out-of-pocket cost was $900.
5) What do your family and friends think of your miles & points hobby?
Brad: They are believers. They were the earliest adopters and are our biggest advocates. Last December we had a block of 6 rooms at the Salt Lake City Radisson so all of us could cash in on the Club Carlson promotion. For the first time, my miserly father is staying in hotels that aren’t named with a number. We get calls, texts, emails…we are volunteer travel agents and we love every moment of it.
6) Is there any tool or trick which you’ve found especially useful in this hobby?
Sheldon: Most of the travelers out there have a normal 9-5 job, and can’t be on the go all of the time. Such is life for the majority of Americans. I’ve had the strategy of booking a trip every six months. When I get home from a trip I let myself get settled in, and then book another trip that is about six months out. Taking two vacations a year is a must and most jobs allow for that. This gives you something to look forward to on those long, dragging days at work between trips.
7) What was the least expected way you’ve earned miles or points?
Sheldon: The recent Fidelity promotion has been a great success for me. 50,000 United miles instead of 0.000001% interest is a deal I’ll take any day of the week. Can’t wait to put those miles to good use on a fun vacation with the family!
8) What do you now know about collecting miles and points which you wish you knew when you started out?
Brad: Too many people think that they’re playing the miles and points game by simply spending on a FF card. That’s like saying you’ve toured Italy when your cruise ship stopped in Rome. I know. I was guilty of it. You’ve got to capitalize on every promotion and every opportunity. If you knew where a treasure chest was buried, you’d go to great lengths to dig it up, but far too many people opt out because “it will hurt my credit,” or “I don’t have time to figure it out.” Investing time in understanding these things pays immediate dividends.
9) What would your readers be surprised to know about you?
Brad: I’m a little bit compulsive when it comes to taking on hobbies. In addition travel and WorldWanderlusting, a full time job and four adorable kiddos, I am a political junkie (I’m on the city council in my hometown). I helped found and run a non-profit Haiti Relief Organization, www.HaitiSakPlen.com. I’m a hopeless romantic and I write and read extensively (finally getting into Hemingway at the moment). I love motorcycles, languages, and architecture… and I have a thing for blue turf. Sheldon: I spent two of my prime years in Paraguay doing a service mission, which was totally worth it. I received my degree in Business Finance and had a 3.96 GPA. My only B came from the class in which I met my wife (it was worth it). I spend most days calming people about their health insurance rates going through the roof, and convincing others that it’s worth the hefty premium.
10) Any parting words?
Both: We are arms-dealers in the war of monotony vs. adventure and excitement. It is a sad fact that most people simply raise their white flag in surrender to boredom and sameness. They’re overpowered by the battle-call of the humdrum, “we can’t afford to do things like that.” They cower from the challenge with phrases like “we can’t find a babysitter,” and “traveling to those places isn’t safe.” We just won’t tolerate weakness like that. We won’t let them win. We soak in the refreshing springs of civilizations’ celebrations. We gorge on the sweet variety of global gluttony. We learn the intriguing history of local legends. We wanderlust. The opportunities that are out there for absolutely free travel justify banishing thpse despicable phrases forever. Come see what we’re doing, come do what we’re saying. Wanderlust with us. www.WorldWanderlusting.com
Mark Twain once wrote, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”
All barriers came down for me in 2009 when I was sitting on a bus headed toward the Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I was seated next to a Muslim guy about my age who was speaking in broken English Even though he was raised as a Muslim and I had been raised as a Mormon, I realized that many of our teachings were the same.
Although there is still a dispute as to whether Isaac or Ishmael claimed the birthright, in the end we both had been taught to follow high levels of integrity and character. He talked about the avoidance of alcohol, wearing modest clothing, and living a chaste life were all teachings he had received as a youth.
Sometimes living in America you get the idea that Muslim=Taliban. Never had I been so narrow minded personally, but those people exist. Living in “one little corner of the Earth” doesn’t allow for open-mindedness unless you travel. I love travel because it opens my view and helps me to see more clearly.
Service Travel
Expedia recently released a few touching videos about why people love traveling and how it has affected their lives. The marketing campaign’s goals are to motivate people to travel and find their purpose, passion, love, calling, curiosity, etc. The videos will warm your soul as you see how travel can truly change people.
Last year a local doctor spoke to his employees regarding his two week trip to Tanzania. He had gone on a service mission, and was working in a rural hospital performing surgeries for the local tribes. His slideshow showed victims with their before and after pictures. The results were astonishing.
The lives that he changed will be forever grateful for his trip to Tanzania, however the doctor walked away as the person who was most affected. He worked to raise thousands of dollars to send to the hospital for new equipment. He has recruited other physicians that will join him next year. Realizing that his life was rather abundant, he has made sacrifices to make the lives of others significantly better.
Foods
Doesn’t everyone dream of eating crepes in Paris? What about eating a bratwurst with mustard in Germany? There isn’t much like eating a gelato while admiring St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice. Foods enhance your travel experience, and in some cases are the reason for travel.
I’ll never forget the time when I was in Paraguay and a few locals invited us over for a special dinner. The father of the family was having a birthday so they were going to have a birthday celebration by cooking akayvype. For those of you who don’t habla Guarani, that means a cow head cooked underground.
The table was set, everyone had a utensil, which left only the unraveling. My level of anxiety grew as they peeled back the multiple layers of tin foil. The entire head laid on the table when they were done and I was nervous. As everyone was about ready to dig in, I reminded them that this might be the time for a prayer. Of course I requested to offer the prayer, and I gave one of the most heartfelt prayers ever.
Once the prayer was over the party began. Everyone was scraping, cutting, and munching, but I was still apprehensive. One friend who was with me insisted that I needed to try the tongue. He pried open the mouth of the cow head and put his fork into the tongue. The knife came next as he cut a morsel from the tip of the tongue. He gave it a long, hard look and placed it in his mouth and began chewing.
This wasn’t macaroni and cheese, or the enchiladas that my mother made me in the comfort of my own home. This was far from my comfort zone, but was definitely in theirs. This was a delicacy that was rarely enjoyed, yet they were sharing it with me.
The pressure was ON for me. I took down a very dry swallow and took a couple of steps toward the head. Everyone around me seemed to be enjoying the food. I was the only nervous person in the room. Things almost went silent as I cut a small piece from the mouth of the cow. All eyes were on me and I knew there was no turning back. The pause felt like an eternity, but in reality was probably a few seconds.
When it entered my mouth I had an expectation that it would be repulsive. Instant vomiting would occur because it was going to be so nasty. Unexpectedly, I was pleasantly surprised with the flavor. It was MUCH better than I had expected. In reality it was delicious. The room roared with a cheer as I had taken my first bite.
In that moment I felt like I had taken part in their culture. They had adopted me as one of them, and I realized that we weren’t so different. Just because minestrone soup is my favorite meal that my mother made for me, and akayvype is the favorite of theirs. I’m so glad that I didn’t listen to my mind, but I did my heart. The experience will always stay with me as a special moment.
Why do you love to travel?
It is too common for people to live within a bubble, and never experience other foods, cultures, or people. Don’t allow cost to prohibit you from Finding Yours. Become a WorldWanderluster and learn how to save thousands on your travels. Today I’ll be flying to San Francisco for free. I’ll stay in the Sheraton Four Points for free. You guessed it. My activities will cost me maybe $300 for a weekend in San Fran.
We would love for you to share your experiences with us. Let us know of moments when travel has made a huge impact on your life, because others need to know about it.
Start WorldWanderlusting today with the Sapphire Preferred from Chase. Currently the offer gives $500 in travel when spent through the Chase Ultimate Rewards Portal.
It has been over a year since we discovered the incredible Starwood hotel loop in Alpine Europe. Yeah, that’s the one that we drew up to take advantage of the lowest Starwood redemption rates and stay somewhere around 7 or 8 nights for free in some of the most amazing country in Europe. Planning it, talking about it, and sharing the idea invoked a thirst that had to be quenched… and in April of 2012, quench we did.
All of these hotels were paid for with Starpoints that I received from the Starwood Preferred Guest(R) Credit Card from American Express, something I’d urge you to look into if you have any kind of European wanderlust.
This place is an absolute paradise. It is easily the tallest building in town and the reason for which it is named “Panoramic House” is rather obvious. It is right off the highway and you won’t have any trouble finding it.
The hotel is located very close to the border of Switzerland and Austria and is surrounded by mountains and lakes. Each room has an incredible view of the mountains above or the valleys below. The outside walls are all windows so you’ll never wonder what the weather is like.
Dornbirn’s Spa
How do you improve on a free hotel room? How about free access to the spa? You could easily lose yourself in this spa for weeks at a time. This photo doesn’t even do justice to how wonderful this place will make you feel. Drift away in the huge heated pool and move from station to station of bubbles, water massagers, foot jets, and more.
You’ll also enjoy the two saunas, ice room, and steam room for your maximum comfort. In Europe, it’s not taboo to enjoy the sauna without clothing. Although most are clothed, plan on seeing a few nude people.
View from the Hotel Room
They also have a lap pool outside for anyone who is interested in swimming laps after enjoying the sauna. Bring along your favorite book and soak up the rays in the sun room or take a nap in one of the comfortable loungers. Essentially this place is for ultimate relaxation after enjoying the outdoor activities which abound in the valley. Sadly, underestimating the excellence of this property and the surrounding area, I only booked it for one night. You can imagine what a travesty it was to leave so soon. I could easily have spent a week or more enjoying the natural beauty of Dornbirn.
The hotel is only about an hour an a half from the Zurich airport, so it isn’t too far to drive and parking is also free. This is in stark contrast to any place you might try to stay in Switzerland, where expenses run high for just about everything.
Located right next door to the hotel is a mall where you can shop for everything from clothes to groceries. The grocery store is the best place to find breakfast because it is the cheapest place to eat in town. Pick up some European snacks and don’t even think about leaving until you have a stash of dream-worthy chocolate.
Close Things to Do
Visit Lake Constance
See the Rolls Royce Museum close to town
Drive to Bludenz and see if you can buy some discounted Milka chocolate that is produced there.
See Liechtenstein, one of the smallest countries in the world.
See the Zepplin Museum which is a 28 miles away.
Spend a day at the spa relaxing.
Do some hiking. The front desk told us about a beautiful canyon closeby called Rappenloch, but we didn’t have enough time.
Enjoy specatcular views of the valley by riding a cable car to the top of Pfander.
This is a Starwood category 2 hotel, meaning that it will only burn 3000 points per night on a weekend or 4000 on a weeknight. Right now, the Starwood Preferred Guest(R) Credit Card from American Express will bonus you 25,000 Starpoints after meeting the $5000 spending requirement, so staying a couple of nights in this Alpine paradise will barely even put a dent in your points balance.
